HandsOff
by HeadGirl07
Summary: Third year girls giggling in their dormitory, playing a typical slumber party game. Hermione wishes she didn't get involved. Short and fluffy.


Book open to page 326, Hermione was on the bed listening to her dorm mates playing the classic slumber party game: Truth or Dare. Technically she was playing too, but the girls found out over the years that Hermione only picked truth, not to mention her answers were always calm, simple, and about as interesting as a textbook. Of course, Hermione found textbooks very interesting so she saw no problem with that.

Crookshanks winded his way next to Hermione, curling himself into a fluffy, ginger cushion. She sighed. Marking the page with a bookmark, she closed the book, letting her mind wander. She could not stop the image of herself as an old, bushy haired lady with a ginger cat beside her, reading a book, with no one to talk to. Hermione thought about that last statement. Harry and Ron were still ignoring her, Harry for the Firebolt and Ron for Scabbers. With this plus her crazy schedule she felt like a total outsider. It would have been okay before Hogwarts. She was used to being ignored, laughed at, talked about. But now she's had real friends, ones she would always stick by, ones who would stick up for her, and they were making her feel unwanted.

She heard the third year girls giggling. Lavender had just eaten all the vomit flavored jellybeans they could find in the box. Now she looked nauseated but kept it down long enough to know she wasn't going to puke. It was her turn to pick someone.

"Hermione, you put your book down!" she said. "Truth or dare?" One girl groaned while everyone else waited silently for her expected answer.

"Truth."

Lavender, mischievous grin in place, turned her head to Parvati, whispering. Parvati giggled. Lavender, apparently satisfied, looked back at Hermione. "So… do you like Ronald Weasley?"

Caught off guard, she kept her eyes on the bed. She decided to answer honestly. After all, this was truth or dare. "Of course I like him. He's my friend." _That was a dumb question…_

Everyone groaned, this time with a smatter of giggling. Hermione realized what Lavender meant when Parvati shook her head. "No Hermione. Not like that. She meant do you _like_ like Ron." She explained it airily, as if she was stupid.

_Like__ like Ron? _"Of course not!" She did not realize how her voice sounded until the others started laughing.

"Are you sure Hermione?" asked Lavender playfully. "You sound awfully upset."

"Quite sure," she stated. She _was_ upset. What a stupid question. "I mean, he eats like a pig." Hermione could have said so many other things and would have kept going had Carly not stepped in.

"But in romance novels they always begin hating each other, and you're total opposites." Hermione had read her share of romance novels and could not bring herself to argue against the point. "You might like him later."

"We should make a hands-off list!" Parvati stood up and started looking for a parchment and quill.

"A hands-off list?" Carly cocked her head.

"Yeah. I made one with Padma so we wouldn't end up dating the same guy. It's perfect!" Her smug look convinced Hermione this was not heading in the right direction.

_This is utterly ridiculous. _"Parvati, this isn't necessary. Why do we need a hands-off list?" Even the words sounded funny in her mouth, like an irregular object.

Lavender, totally caught up in her friend's idea, went on to explain. "Because what if you end up liking Ron later? You wouldn't want someone else dating him, would you?"

"But---"

"I think this is a great idea." Daria chimed in. "We can put other boys on it too so no one dates them."

"Sign?" asked Parvati, though it was hardly a question. She was handing her the parchment and quill.

"NO! This is ridiculous!" cried Hermione. "Say… Say I did like Ron." She started to rush before they had a chance to do anything. "And he's on the list. Wouldn't that mean I couldn't date him?"

In response, Lavender took the paper and wrote Ron's name at the top followed by a dash. Then she wrote, "Except Hermione," after it.

She didn't know what to say. They were all giggling much more than necessary. Sometimes she felt like _she_ needed a book on girl behavior, because sometimes even she couldn't fathom how their minds worked.

"You're all being immature." But she was ignored.

"Should Harry be on the list? Do you like him Hermione?"

"NO!"

"But Ron's little sister likes him, doesn't she?" They turned to her.

_What am I? An information kiosk? _Frustrated, she answered, "Why are all of you playing matchmaker?"

When they kept staring she knew no one was going to back her up. They were going to run through every boy in the school. She sighed. It looked like she was going to have to play the game to end the madness.

Defeated, she said, "Put him on the list." Parvati wrote his name down plus, "Except Ginny," after the dash.

"Should we put Neville?"

"I don't think anyone wants to date him anyway. He's so… Neville. Maybe he'll be really handsome later. We'll put him on for now, then change it later if necessary."

"So we can change it?"

"Yes. I mean, we have to be flexible."

"Are you going to sign Hermione?" Reluctantly, she took the parchment. Signing the bottom, she promised herself never to take part in their silly truth or dare game again. Hermione returned to her book, eager for some sort of sanity. For once her homework load was light and she deserved a break. _Dating Ron… hands-off list… rubbish… _


End file.
